40th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Culture

DJ Kool Herc is considered by many to be the “first hip-hop D.J”. In the early stages of hip hop music, DJ Kool Herc brought his sound system to block parties in the Bronx and began playing the brief rhythmic sections of records which would become known as “breaks. Using the two-turntable set-up of the disco DJs, Kool Herc’s style led to the use of two copies of the same record to elongate the break. This breakbeat DJing, using hard funk, rock, and records with Latin percussion, formed the basis of hip hop music. DJ Kool Herc’s music along with his announcements to his dancers, called b-boys and b-girls, helped pave the way to what everyone now knows as rapping.

This event is free and is part of SummerStage's "This is _Hip-Hop" series. Tickets are available first come, first served.